Prism
by Obsydian Mirror
Summary: Good kingdoms don't rely on children to fight their battles. Bad kingdoms recruit them as spies to ferret out the traitors. But then, that's what happens in a world where the Colour Revolution failed.
1. Briefing

**This isn't my story idea. This is an adaptation of Chapter 18 of The Writer Games by College Fool and Coeur Al'Aran. This is taken with permission by CF, who wrote the original fill. So I will try and not disappoint. I also don't own RWBY.**

 **Now that the legal stuff is out of the way: Enjoy!**

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 _"Three more office buildings in downtown Vale were targeted by rebellious graffiti last night. Although spread across the commercial district all three bore the signature and style of 'Queen', making this the seventeenth graffiti incident attributed to 'Queen' this month. Although 'Queen' has been vandalizing public property in Vale since the middle of June, the Vale Police Department has no leads as to who they are. In other news, the White Fa-"_

The news report was abruptly shut off before the eyes of Jauque Arc. Blue eyes tracked the figure that stalked back and forth in front of the now silent screen. The sharp overhead lighting lead to a stark contrast between light and shadow in the room and made the white jacket of the pacing man gleam while seemingly setting his orange hair aflame. A blue-tinted cloud of smoke coiled up from the cigar gripped in his hand. Taking a brief puff from it, he turned towards Jauque. "I take it you understand why you're here today, Arc?"

Standing up as straight as possible, Jauque looked his superior in the eye. "I would presume, given the context of the news you have shown me, that it would most likely involve this 'Queen' figure they mentioned." Roman Torchwick briefly met his eyes before resuming his pacing with a violent nod. "Quick on the uptake as always kid. This 'Queen' character has been covering the downtown districts in graffiti since the beginning of the summer and is suspected to have ties to rebel colour groups in Vacuo. Unfortunately, our 'esteemed' colleagues over at Vale Police Department have been sitting around with their thumbs up their asses and all they've gathered is that 'Queen' will be attending Beacon Academy in two weeks. Since they proved so useful at finding that little tidbit out, they decided that we over at Interior needed more on our plate aside from dealing with the tatters of the White Fang!"

 _So this 'Queen' persona is well trained, enough to get into Beacon. This of course meant that they have their Aura unlocked and are proficient in combat. The fact that they have kept the Vale Police essentially in the dark for the entire summer is a testament to their thoroughness and cunning. It should be a good challenge to track them down._

Jauque tilted his head slightly to the side, he could clearly see where Torchwick was headed with this. "I would rightly assume that you want me to track down this 'Queen'?" Roman finally stopped his pacing before flashing a wry grin at him. "Once again, you hit the nail right on the fucking head Arc. You're of age to enter Beacon and the most advantageous part of it all is your backstory is the ideal thing to get you invited into a graffiti gang."

One eyebrow raised in a look of confusion. _My backstory? What could he be talking about?_ "My backstory? I fail to see how being raised in an orphanage will aid me in getting into one of these 'colour gangs'." Torchwick shook his head and motioned to the chair set against the wall. "You might want to take a seat Arc, because I'm not referring to that damn state orphanage. I'm talking about your parents."

Jauque took a seat in the white, upholstered chair, letting his eyes wander about the room. It was an average room, identical to the ones that filled up the wing of the building dedicated to the Ministry of Interior. A wooden desk painted black and a couple chairs made up the furniture of the room. Light gray paint covered the walls and a carpet of slightly darker shade covered the floor. Harsh lighting completed the room and made the lack of anything resembling colour even more evident. "My parents? Sir, I don't know what you're talking about." Roman took a seat in the other chair across from him and extinguished his cigar in the ashtray. Letting out a small sigh, he met Jauque's eyes.

"I take it the orphanage matron never told you about them?" Receiving a brief head shake he continued, "Both of your parents graduated from Beacon with top honours and went on to serve in the military. A few months after you were born they died heroic deaths in the Battle for Dragon's Point. At least that's what the records say. The truth was that they were executed quietly for colour treason. The fact that they were war heroes is enough to get you a legacy scholarship in to Beacon, despite your lack of fighting skills and the colour treason will make the graffiti gangs more likely to invite you to join their ranks."

 _So my parents were war heroes but also colour traitors. Indeed, that is truly an ideal backstory to work with._

Jauque's train of thought was interrupted by a light cough coming from Roman. He looked up from his musings and quirked an eyebrow in an unspoken question. "There are a few more things you need to know before you ship off Arc. First off, you need your Aura unlocked. Second, you need to train with the CAS-650 and finally, there's some brief info on Beacon you'll need to not seem like an absolute moron when you get there."

Torchwick rose to his feet and crossed the room to stand next to Jauque. Placing his hand firmly on Jauque's shoulder he glanced down at him. "Now then, I'm not the biggest fan of the whole touchy-feely shit but this is necessary to unlock your Aura." When Roman next spoke, his voice had deepened and the timbre taken on a echoing quality. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee." _An odd choice of words._

A rush of energy flowed through Jauque's body and he felt revitalized. Next to him, Roman gasped briefly as if exhausted before shaking his head, strolling over to his desk and lighting up a cigar. "Those lines were quite... poetic, Sir." Torchwick let out a brief snort before responding. "Those lines have been around since well before the Rebellion, kid. Old words that some would construe as colour treason. But remember this Arc: old words can have power that you aren't expecting."

Pulling a folder out of his desk drawer, he handed it over to Jauque. "Here, this has all the info you need for Beacon. Look it over during the next two weeks till you head off to school. Now head on over to the armory to pick up a CAS-650. One of the staff there can give you a crash course in it so you don't get eaten right off the bat. You are dismissed, Arc." Getting to his feet, Jauque gave a brief salute to Torchwick who responded in kind. Heading out the door, he paused at the threshold as a thought occurred. "Sir, is there any info on my parents in the case that someone asks about them?"

A shuffling of papers could be heard behind him followed by muffled footsteps on carpet. "The whole 'dying when you were a baby' should explain most of your ignorance but you should have this." Turning around, he accepted the extended photograph before looking at it. Three faces with blue eyes and blonde locks stared back at him: a man who appeared to be in his early thirties with short cropped hair and stubble across his cheeks, a woman of similar age with flowing hair down to the small of her back and she held an infant child with wispy strands of hair covering his scalp. Flipping the picture over revealed some writing on the back. 'James Arc, Jeane Arc, Jaune Arc, My word is my bond.' "Who's Jaune and what do these words mean?"

Roman gave a small smile, "That right there's your family. Jaune is the name they gave you when you were born. The state gave you Jauque as a proper colourless name upon entering the orphanage. The words on the back was something your old man used to say all the time. Something about how an Arc always keeps his promises. Got any other questions before you head off to the armory?"

"Just one: when I track down 'Queen' what am I to do?"

Once again Roman smiled, but this one never reached his eyes. "Do your best to find out their real identity. When you do, let us know so we can arrest them as an example to those still in graffiti gangs. You are to give me monthly updates on your progress and you have until the end of the school year, Arc."

"And if I am unable to learn their identity by then?"

"Kill them. I have the utmost faith in you."

"Very well, sir."

 _So I have around nine to ten months to find this 'Queen'. Should be no trouble. Now then, which way is the armory from here._

* * *

The floor vibrated and shook beneath his feet, leading to a minor sense of nausea. Remembering Torchwick's words that a more harmless persona would be easier, he let out another exaggerated groan and observed many potential students of Beacon from his vantage point in one corner of the ship. All of them, him included, were dressed alike: white shirts covered by a black blazer with dark gray trim, matching black pants, a light gray tie and black shoes. Many students were spending the ride one of three ways: on their scrolls, talking with their friends or gazing out the windows at the view. The view from the ship was impressive although Jauque was unable to enjoy it for long as it would clash with his illusion of motion sickness. He was busy evaluating them as potential candidates for informants and allies.

 _Hmmph, most of these 'students' seem to lack the ability to keep things to themselves or the concept of subtlety. Sadly, I must look further afield for potential 'friends'._

The vibrations and nausea lessened at the same rate as the ship slowed to a stop at the air dock. Letting most of the crowd stampede out the door, Jauque took his time collecting his thoughts before leaving the ship as well. A sea of monochromaticity met his eyes as students flooded towards the main hall of Beacon. Beacon was larger than he imagined it to be, even after studying the folder he got from Torchwick. Most students traveled in silence or in small, quiet conversations between friends. However, an argument to his right between two girls caught his ears.

"You truly are a dolt. Do you have any idea how expensive that Dust was?"

"I'm really sorry. It was an accident."

Turning to his right, a girl with white hair pulled into a perfectly centered ponytail and pale blue eyes entered his vision as she stood over what appeared to be a slightly younger girl with black hair tipped in red who was looking anywhere but at the girl in front of her, clearly embarrassed and uncomfortable with her situation.

 _Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. I did not know she was attending Beacon._

It seemed the argument between Weiss and the mystery girl had ended as she stalked away from the smaller girl in a huff. The girl on the receiving end of the tirade sighed sadly before sitting on the ground with a 'plop'.

"Welcome to Beacon." A small noise of sadness passed the girls lips.

 _She seems amiable enough, perhaps I could go help her and gain a potential informant._

He strolled over to the dark-haired girl, putting on his friendliest and most open expression, before extending his hand. "Hey miss, you doing alright?"

She looked at his hand in surprise before accepting it and letting him help her to her feet. The girls looked up at him with piercing eyes of silver before looking back at the ground woth a small shrug. "I'm fine, just bad first impressions, I guess. As well as the fact that my sister ditched me to go hang out with her friends." He smiled gently at her, doing his best to put her at ease. After all, it wouldn't do to alienate himself from potential allies. "Ahh, now that is something I can understand. Pleased to meet you, my name is Jauque Arc. What's yours?"

"Rebecca Rose."

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 **So, my plan for updates is around 1-2 weeks as I have stuff to do that isn't writing. Feel free to react how you want and any reviews are appreciated.**

 **See you next chapter.**


	2. Introductions

**So, I know I said updates were 1-2 weeks but this chapter's been sitting around for a few days and I just felt like posting it.**

 **Thanks a lot to everyone who followed and favorited the story.**

 **To WhichOneIsWill: Thanks for the advice, I'll do my best to keep TIPTOP in mind while writing.**

 **Original story fill was written by College Fool, who gave me permission to write this. RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, not me.**

 **Enjoy!**

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"Whew, am I glad that one of us knew where we were going."

Jauque gave Rebecca a small grin, noting the relief in her voice. "Not the greatest with navigation, are we?" A small glare, crossed arms and a pout were the only acknowledgement she gave his teasing. After a minute or so, her posture softened to her normal slump and she kicked the ground with one boot. "This place is a lot bigger than I thought it would be, okay?"

"You have my agreement there, Rose. By the way, we're here." He was immediately dragged forward by the short girl at his side. "Come on then, I want to introduce you to my sister!"

Jauque sighed internally, before allowing himself to be pulled forward by the girl with gradient hair. About a third of the way to the stage, he was suddenly yanked to the right as Rebecca halted next to a taller girl with a mass of blonde hair and lilac eyes. "How's your first day going, little sister? I see you've made a friend already. Good for you!"

Rebecca shot her sister a glare that Jauque had already familiarized himself with. "Aside from the fact that you ditched me and I _exploded?_ It's been fine, speaking of friends: Jamie, this is Jauque, he helped me out after I exploded. Jauque, this is my sister Jamie." The blonde immediately flashed him a grin before holding out her hand. "The name's Jamie Xiao Long, at your service! So what's this about Becca exploding?"

Shaking Jamie's hand, he returned the grin before replying. "Jauque Arc, and I don't know anything about her 'exploding' but I did see her quite down after being on the receiving end of Weiss Schnee's... displeasure." Her eyes narrowed briefly before she shrugged and let go of his hand. "Eh, probably just got off on the wrong foot."

"I'd say." An indignant voice from behind Jauque startled him and he whirled around. Weiss was standing next to Rebecca, fixing her with an icy glare. The smaller girl leapt into her sister's arms with a cry of surprise. "Oh god, it's happening again!"

The white haired girl began to berate Rebecca as Jamie set her on her feet. "You could've blown us off the cliff. Try to be more careful in the future, dolt." Both blondes turned to look at Rebecca, Jamie in mild amusement and Jauque in thinly veiled disbelief. The aforementioned 'dolt' returned the glare and huffed. "I said I was sorry already, what more do you want!?" Her head jerked back as the heiress shoved a pamphlet with the title of 'DUST for Dummies and other Inadequate Individuals' in her face. "You want to make it up to me? Read this and never speak to me again." She turned on her heels and was about to leave when Jauque spoke up in an attempt to mend fences between the two girls.

"Miss Schnee, I don't believe I had the pleasure of making your acquaintance yet." She looked back at him with a look of surprise before it settled into an imperious gaze, "Oh, I'm sorry, and what is your name?"

He bowed briefly and extended his hand before responding, "My name is Jauque Arc, at your service Miss Schnee." She returned the shake in a perfunctory manner. "Weiss Schnee, at least someone around here is able to act in a civilized manner."

Any further additions to the conversation were interrupted as feedback sounded from the microphone at the front of the room. Standing at the mic was an older man with a shock of silvery hair and brown eyes half-hidden by dark spectacles. He was dressed in green and black with a cane by his side and a mug in one hand. He looked out upon the assembled students with a gaze that was equal parts welcoming as it was calculating.

 _This must be Headmaster Ozpin. For a man that does not look dangerous, those eyes are reveal the truth. I'll have to be careful around him._

"I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you all will take different paths in life. Much like how a white light breaks forth into colour when put through a prism, you all will diverge and forge your own paths after Beacon. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to make the first step."

The headmaster took a sip from his mug before strolling off the stage as a stern looking woman with blonde hair in a bun stepped up. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

Jauque's eyes narrowed momentarily as he recalled her from the flight. _Glynda Goodwitch, s_ _he may not be as powerful as Ozpin but she is also someone to be respected._

Weiss strode by him into the crowd flooding out of the hall with an imperious 'hmmph' as Jamie and Rebecca fell into step beside him, discussing the vague speech of the headmaster. "He seemed kinda... off."

Rebecca nodded to her sister's words, voicing her agreement. "It's almost like he wasn't even there." Jauque decided to keep his opinion private as they headed off to the ballroom for the night.

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Dim candlelight was the only source of illumination in the ballroom. The source was an old fashioned candelabra that sat on a low table near Jauque. Seated next to the table was an amber-eyed girl with ebony hair and a pair of cat ears set atop her head, marking her as a faunus to anyone with sight. She read from a leather bound book with ornate lettering on the side. She looked up from her book with a slightly annoyed expression as Jamie pulled Rebecca over to her.

 _This could give me some facts about this faunus. I can't discount the possibility of her being White Fang._

"Hel-loooo." With a lilt in her voice and a jaunty wave, the blonde stopped in front of the seated girl and motioned to her sister. "I believe you two may... know each other?"

A flash of recognition lit up the faunus girl's eyes as she looked at Rebecca. "Aren't you the girl that exploded?" An embarrassed look crossed Rebecca's face as she kicked at the floor with one foot. "Yeah, that's me. My name's Rebecca but you can call me Cra-" Whatever she was about to say was quickly overruled by her sister's interruption. "Just call her Becca, it's what I call her."

The black-haired girl returned to her book with a brief noise of acknowledgement as the sisters argued among themselves for a second. Rebecca returned to the unnamed girl, most likely realizing that fact. "Anyway, what's your name?" A quick sigh of irritation escaped her lips before she responded. "Blair."

Once she learned her name, Rebecca moved on to the topic of Blair's book. Jauque tuned them out, deciding that no more interesting information could be gleaned from his eavesdropping. He mentally went over the profiles her built of the four girls.

 _Rebecca Rose: shy, a bit socially awkward, amiable, innocent, quite trusting. She has a childlike ideology that could get her in trouble and may lead to having colour sympathies. It would be an easy task to make her a potential informant for me._

 _Weiss Schnee: haughty, straight-laced, coldly polite to those who seemingly cross her although she could have a gentler side. Highly unlikely to have colour sympathies and would be hard to make an informant._

 _Jamie Xiao Long: Rebecca's sister although with different surnames, more outgoing, more social and more 'colourful' personality. Highly likely to be in a graffiti gang, I should work on befriending her as she could be my 'in'._

 _Blair: no surname learned, quiet, likes reading, not very social. I think her name was on a list of White Fang deserters, do a close eye is necessary._

His train of thought was interrupted as Weiss started yelling at the other three to be quiet and go to sleep. Blair extinguished her candles and plunged the room into darkness.

* * *

The morning dawned cold and clear as Jauque meandered to the dining hall, shaking the last tatters of sleep from his mind. Dressed in regulation combat gear of black jeans, fingerless gloves and a white shirt covered in a reinforced vest, he made his way through the breakfast line. Picking up a couple pancakes, some scrambled eggs and an orange, he looked around for a seat and found one across from a boy with with black hair and a solitary magenta streak that mirrored his eyes as well as an energetic orange haired girl devouring an enormous amount of pancakes in front of her.

She gave him a mega-watt grin and began conversing with him at a rapid pace between inhalations of her pancakes. "Hey friend! What's your name?" Slightly taken aback by her extreme friendliness, he responded in a slightly hesitant voice, "My name's Jauque Arc, how are you today?" Her smile somehow widened and she immediately replied at a speed that made her earlier phrases seem absolutely lethargic in comparison. Jauque quickly realized he had no hope of following her conversation and turned to her companion, raising an eyebrow in a wordless plea for assistance.

He let out an amused chuckle, before placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and exerting his semblance as shown by his Aura flickering in his eyes. "My name's Lee Ryan, nice to meet you. The orange haired girl kept the grin but seemed far more calm that she was a second before. "I'm Natalie Valkyrie, hehe, sorry about that. I'm really excitable but thankfully Ryan here can calm me down." Finishing up their breakfasts, they made their way to the locker rooms while conversing politely.

Their paths diverged upon entering the locker room, with Ryan and Natalie turning right to find their lockers while Jauque headed straight on his hunt for locker "636, where is 636?" Muttering aloud to himself, he passed Jamie and Rebecca who waved at him which he returned with a brief nod. He also ended up passing Weiss who was talking with a tall girl with flame colored hair who was busy making sure her weapon was in perfect working condition. He found his locker a short distance past the two girls and pulled his CAS-650 from it, giving it a brief once-over to confirm it wouldn't jam. He turned back to the conversation between Weiss and the mystery redhead. Able to see her face from this angle, his eyes widened slightly as he recognized her easily.

 _Now this, this is an unexpected boon. I had no idea she would be attending Beacon. Allying with her could make this job all the easier._

He slung his weapon over one shoulder as he strode over to the duo before letting out a brief cough to alert them to his presence. Weiss spun around with an irritated expression which lessened only slightly upon recognizing him while the other girl merely gave him a look of curiosity. "Hello Jauque, what do you want."

He smiled briefly, acting as if he was slightly surprised but still happy that she remembered his name. "Hello Weiss, I was just going to introduce myself to your friend here."

 _The best course may be to let Weiss rattle off her accomplishments as it is most likely unnerving if a complete stranger was the one to do so._

Weiss appeared to become more annoyed at his response, before gesturing grandly towards the taller girl. "You don't recognize her? This is Penelope Nikos!" Tilting his head in an illusion of deep thought, he continued to bait Weiss. "I've heard the name before but I can't place where."

Annoyance began to give way to frustration as the heiress continued to 'inform' him. "She graduated top of her class at Sanctum, is the four time winner of the Mistral Junior Tournament for both shooting and combat and she was on the cover of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes when she was younger!"

He faked sudden recognition by widening his eyes before snapping his fingers, "So that's where I recognize the name." He extended his hand towards her in greeting. "Pleased to meet you, my name's Jauque Arc." She accepted the proffered handshake with a very firm grip. "Hello Jauque, it's a pleasure."

Any further conversation was halted as the intercom broadcasted the voice of Goodwitch into the locker room. "Would all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, that is all first-year students to Beacon Cliff." Jauque turned towards the door leading outside and nodded a goodbye to Penelope and Weiss before falling in step with Rebecca and Jamie.

The latter gave him a smirk, "Going for the champ, Ladykiller?" He let out an amused snort at her nickname, "Just being friendly Xiao Long, no need to be jealous." She glared at him briefly before playfully and painfully socking him in the shoulder.

After walking in silence for a few minutes, they arrived at the cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest. Several bullheads were parked on the landing pads near the edge of the cliff and a fairly large crowd of students were gathered nearby under the sharp gaze of Goodwitch and the calculating gaze of Ozpin.

The headmaster waited a few minutes for the last of the first-years to trickle in before addressing them. "The Emerald Forest has been the proving grounds for those seeking admittance into Beacon Academy for years. Today, you will test your mettle under the branches as so many have before you."

He paused to take a sip from his mug and Goodwitch picked up the explanation. "I'm sure most of you have heard rumors of the assignment of 'teams'. To put an end to your confusion, you all will be given teammates now."

Jauque heard Rebecca give a small cry of surprise next to him as Ozpin continued. "A message has been sent to your Scroll, containing a number and either the letter A or B. Three other students have the same number as you, they are your teammates. One other student has received an identical message to yours and is your partner for the next four years."

 _This could prove to be a problem if I don't know my teammates._

"The number you receive corresponds to one of the bullheads behind me as well as a sector in the forest below. Your task will be sent to your Scroll upon landing in the forest. Failure to complete the task by sundown will result in a failed initiation and you will be forced to leave Beacon. The message determining your teams has been sent... Now!"

Jauque pulled out his Scroll and checked his messages. Pulling open the most recent, two simple characters that determined his fate stared up at him: 9B. He raised his head and made his way to the bullhead with a nine on the tail.

Climbing in, he found that he was the last one to get to the bullhead and he grinned in relief that he knew his teammates. Sitting across from him in the bullhead were none other than Ryan and Natalie, both with 9A on their Scrolls and beside him was Penelope, her Scroll proudly displaying 9B.

 _Well, things could be a lot worse._

* * *

 **So the next chapter covers Initiation and I'm hoping (but not promising) to get it done by Saturday or Sunday.**

 **Anyway, reviews are always appreciated.**

 **See you next chapter.**


	3. Initiation

**I got it out in time!**

 **As always: The story idea belongs to College Fool and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Urgh." The none too gentle shaking of the Bullhead was causing his stomach to perform some interesting acrobatics, much to Jauque's displeasure. While not serious, the mild nausea was distracting and even though he felt fine otherwise his partner had different ideas. "Are you feeling okay Jauque? What's the matter?"

He let out a brief groan before meeting the concerned gaze pf Penelope. "I'm fine Nikos, just a little nauseous from the vehicle. It's nothing to worry about." While it seemed to be enough to convince her, the look never wavered. The bullhead suddenly pulled back slightly before landing in a small clearing. They clambered out of the ship and gave brief waves to the pilot as he took back off before getting a look of their surroundings. Trees arched overhead, lush leaves of an emerald hue with some vines hanging from high branches while bushes covered most of the forest floor, both the same colour as the foliage above.

 _I can see why this is called the Emerald Forest, it's quite beautiful to look at._

Any inner musings they had where interrupted by the sound of a message being received by Jauque's scroll. Pulling it out of his pocket and opening up his messages, they saw one from the same number that gave them their numbers on the cliff.

'Congratulations on successfully landing. Don't worry, none of the Bullheads crashed. Your first task is to head to the north and locate a cave entrance. More instructions will be given then. Kill any enemies that oppose you. Good luck, Initiates.'

Ryan looked up at the sky, gauging the position of the sun before checking the time on his Scroll. "It's still early in the day. If we keep the sun to our right, we'll be heading north." Jauque nodded in acknowledgement before scanning the forest to the north. "Alright then, Ryan, take point, then Valkyrie, I'll be third with Nikos as the rear guard. Let's get moving." They filed into the forest, keeping the sun to the right and an eye out for Grimm. Not fifteen minutes later, growls emanated from the woods around them which gave them a momentary alert before a couple dozen lycanthropic forms burst forth.

Several Beowolves leapt at Ryan and Natalie while the rest raced towards Penelope and Jauque. The Mistrali girl calmly brought her scope up and placed clean shots through the faceplates of two Grimm before swapping to the blade and parrying another then kicking its feet out. The Beowolf felt only a brief falling sensation before Penelope's sword severed its head from its torso. Jauque focused his shots more towards those not directly engaged, shooting one Beowolf in the chest and three more in the limbs or center mass, crippling but not lethal. Natalie let out a gleeful shout before smashing her blade down on the mask of a Beowolf before cleaving another at the waist with a fierce backhand. She jumped into the mass of black and white while her partner calmly dodged the airborne Grimm while bringing his sword in a reverse grip to slit the throat of the first one then plunging down into the skull of a second. Using the weapon as a pivot, he swung his body parallel to the ground, landing a brutal snap kick which crumpled the skull of a third with a sickening crunch.

The remaining Grimm were dispatched with similar ease and soon the only trace of their existence were smoking corpses littering the forest floor. Penelope sheathed her sword at her waist before facing Jauque. "That was some fine shooting Jauque." He tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Thank you Nikos, you dealt with the Grimm quite efficiently as well." He turned north again, only to find he had gotten turned around in the combat.

"Ryan, can you find north again?" The magenta-eyed boy nodded with a smirk before pointing to his left. They set off again, loosely grouped up rather than single file. Not five minutes later Natalie turned to Jauque with a look of curiosity. "What combat school did you go to, Jauque?" The blonde boy was momentarily startled by the question before gathering himself and drawing from his fabricated backstory. "I didn't go to a combat school, a friend of mine taught me some basic combat for a few years." The bubbly berserker pursed her lips on thought before giving him her trademark grin. "What're your parents like?"

Ryan interrupted the conversation before he could find a way to brush Natalie off. "I believe we've found the cave." A gaping hole of shadow stood out in stark contrast to the beige sandstone the cliff was composed of. Markings were drawn on the right side of the cave mouth, depicting stick figures fighting a large scorpid. Confirming Ryan's statement, Penelope's scroll beeped again. Flipping open her scroll, she opened up the message and read it aloud.

'I suppose congratulations are in order. Now that you have found the cave, your task is to make your way through it and find a spiraling stone staircase within. Your next message will be sent once you have climbed it. Good luck and watch your step.'

Natalie immediately went to rush headlong into the caverns but a firm hand on her shoulder, courtesy of Ryan, held her back. "We should be _careful_ in these caves. I would be surprised if we got through them unopposed. As well as the fact that we need a source of light." Jauque nodded in agreement and turned on the flashlight function of his scroll. He looked at the rest of the team, motioning to the darkened hole. "I will take point, Ryan will be second, Valkyrie third with Nikos bringing up the rear. Any questions?" Wasting no time, he ducked his head and entered the darkness.

He could not make out much past where the beam of his scroll illuminated, however he could tell that the ceiling of the cave was about ten feet above him, as well as the fact that the path seemed to stay quite straightforward for a little while. He began to make his way further underground, his footsteps joined by those of his teammates to echo about them in disconcerting fashion. He abruptly halted about 100 feet in, hearing Natalie and Ryan grunt as the shorter girl bumped into his back. He shone his light on the wall to his left before briefly aiming at the floor. His suspicions confirmed, he aimed it back at the wall, speaking as he did so. "I think there's a trap here. These holes seem too regular to be natural and the floor ahead is higher up than the rest." He looked about the floor at his feet for a decent sized rock. After he found one, he tossed into onto the potentially trapped floor.

 _SHIIK! THUD!_

Spikes slid violently out of the holes in the wall before retracting upon hitting the far wall. He narrowed his eyes in thought after the spikes had fully retreated. "Judging from the sound they made when they hit the wall, I would assume that the spikes are made of wood." A grunt of agreement from Ryan cemented his plan. "Valkyrie, go stand next to the left wall and get your sword ready. I'm going to toss another stone to activate the trap and I want you to break as many spikes as you can." She headed over to the place he specified and drew the blade sheathed across her back. He located another stone and lobbed it onto the pressure plate.

 _SHIIK! CRRRRK!_

The tip of Natalie's blade carved an arc through the stale air as it cleaved through the impaling spikes. The severed ends clattered to the ground as the stumps retreated in an almost sullen manner back to their holes. They crossed the now harmless trap and continued forward. A divergence in the path a little while later caused them to stop and attempt to find out which route led to the surface. Jauque looked back at the other initiates before extinguishing his light. "The path splits here, guys. If we turn off the lights, we might be able to see daylight from the staircase."

The passage was plunged into an impenetrable black that removed all sense of direction. The right hand tunnel remained a stygian abyss however to the left, a pale blue light shone like a beacon. He illuminated his light again but kept in much dimmer than before. "There seems to be daylight if we go left. Turn your lights on but keep them low, we don't know what's up ahead."

They slowly headed towards where they thought the staircase was. It wasn't a far distance and it was only a few minutes before they found the source of the light. All four of them halted upon entering the cavern as two things caught their attention. The first was the cavern itself as it dwarfed anything they had seen before, some 200 feet long and half that wide. The ceiling vaulted overhead some 70 feet high and vaulted like the halls of antiquity. Numerous stalactites and stalagmites dotted both ceiling and floor, with a few having joined to create sturdy pillars. There were two other entrances to the cave: a large passage that seemed to slope up and curved sharply to the left as well as a tall, spiraling stone staircase that rose into the ceiling at the far end of the room. A beam of light shone down into the room from the top of the staircase, refracting on the veins of quartz that streaked through the rock surrounding the cavern, filling the cavern with a pale light.

The other thing that caused them to stop in their tracks was the occupant of the room. A Deathstalker lay in the center of the room, seemingly asleep as it showed no signs of reacting to their presence and it's multitude of eyes were shut. It was an older Grimm, it's size alone proved that as well as the moss covering patches of it's yellowed plating. It was huge too, at least 30 feet in length and a stinger the size of Jauque's torso.

"Is it... dead?" Penelope voiced her thoughts in a hushed tone. He turned to the other two members of the team to see Ryan shaking his head. "If it was dead, it would be dissolving. It's merely asleep so we need to be careful." Jauque bobbed his head towards the other boy before starting to creep forward. "Alright, we just sneak by it and up the stairs. Shouldn't be too hard."

A hand gripped his shoulder and spun him around to see that an oddly calm Natalie was the one to grab him. Before he could caustically ask why she did that, Ryan spoke up next to her. "I can make this a lot easier Jauque. My Semblance allows me to alter the state of mind someone is in, including extreme calm, which makes us much harder for Grimm to detect us. We would still have to sneak normally but it would lessen the chance of it waking up."

 _A Semblance allows you greater self-control and to become nigh undetectable by Grimm? That is quite powerful._

"That sounds like an excellent plan Ryan. You lead, with Valkyrie and Nikos following you. I'll be in the back." The black haired boy clasped Jauque's upper arm with a look of concentration before exerting his Semblance. A peculiar feeling washed over Jauque, like cold water flowing through his nerves and veins before retreating, leaving behind a sensation of tranquility. It was not long before they were parallel to the Deathstalker and although Jauque subconsciously held his breath in fear, it didn't stir from slumber. Upon reaching the spiral staircase, they noted that it was mildly cracked from age and not as sturdy as it looked from across the gallery.

Penelope looked up at hole that lead to the surface and a frown crossed her face. "I don't believe that this will hold all four of us. Two at most should go up at a time." She wasted no time in scaling the steps, gracefully ascending to the surface. When she was about halfway up, Ryan started to climb as well then Natalie followed up when Penelope reached the top. Once he saw Ryan give a thumbs up, Jauque began to make his way up the stairs after the chipper girl. He was about 50 feet above the cavern floor when the corner of the step he was on cracked off and plummeted downwards. He watched in horror as it clattered shockingly loudly and the massive Grimm roused itself with a bone rattling screech. It turned to the source of the noise and it's many eyes fixated on the blonde frozen on the stairs. It let out another screech and charged into the stairs, its sheer bulk causing them to crumble on top of it.

Jauque began scrambling up the second he saw the scorpid begin to barrel towards him and he managed to clear ten feet vertically by the time it crossed the cave. He managed two more steps before he felt the stairs give way and he gave a last ditch leap to the hole, arms flailing. An iron grip caught his outstretched wrist as Natalie saved him from certain death. She hauled him into the room above the cave as the Deathstalker roared in fury below.

The room they were in appeared to be an abandoned cellar, dusty and with cracks webbing across the walls. A narrow staircase led upwards and once at the top of it, they saw a doorway that lead outside as well as another spiraling stair that led up. "We should head up, get a vantage point and see where this cave led us." Jauque saw nothing flawed with Ryan's statement and began leading the group up the steps. At the top of what they could assume to be an old watchtower, battlements lined the edges and the Emerald Forest stretched about all around them. Far to the south-east, they could just make out the cliff where the bullheads took off from but to the west, a large avian form was circling as well as occasionally diving down. In all its circular motion, it was also gradually making its way to the tower they were gathered upon.

Since they had their bearings, they descended the stairs and exited the building. Jauque squinted as the mid-afternoon sun was blinding after the time spent in the caves. His scroll made another beep, signalling more instructions from Ozpin. The action of pulling open his messages was quite regular now as he read out the new directions.

'Well done in making it through the caves. Your final test is one of combat: the team assigned to the sector neighboring yours has encountered a Grimm of equal difficulty as the one you have found. Your task is to join with them and slay both Grimm. Complete this and you will all be students at Beacon, however failure will not have a fortuitous outcome. Good luck."

 _We have to do WHAT?!_

The expressions on his teammates faces seemed to convey similar thoughts as they all appeared shocked at the orders. The tension was broken by Natalie jumping into the air with a jubilant shout. "We get to fight two super hard and super dangerous Grimm? That is... AWESOME!" Ryan frowned, clearly troubled by something. "How will we get to the Deathstalker though? Aside from making our way back to the cave entrance, that is."

Jauque's attention was grabbed by a quartet of figures sprinting headlong towards them as they were pursued by the flying Grimm they saw from the top of the watchtower. He recognized the four being chased easily: Rebecca was in the lead with rose petals faintly trailing after her as she urged Weiss to keep going while Jamie and Blair kept pace easily with the white haired heiress. The Nevermore reared up, sending a volley of large feathers towards the girls with a mighty flap of its wings. Blair vaulted to one side, a clone appearing to take the hit for her while Weiss gestured with her blade to create a glyph midair that shattered the feather hurtling towards her. Jamie gave a shout of exertion as she narrowly slid away from two and Rebecca blurred towards them, effortlessly weaving through the storm of feathers. Jamie was the last to arrive, stooping next to Jauque to catch her breath before giving him a tired grin.

"Fancy meeting you here, Ladykiller." He smirked at his fellow blonde, caught off guard yet amused by her ability to make a joke seemingly anywhere. He gave a sidelong grin before turning to the others, "I'm guessing this is what the message meant."

Weiss gave him a curt nod before focusing back on the Grimm circling them. "Indeed, but where is the second Grimm it mentioned?" Penelope gave her tense smile, clearly on edge with such a large Grimm nearby. "Big Deathstalker in a cave below us. Kill this thing then get it?" The rest of them gave shouts of agreement as they readied their weapons to bring down the Nevermore. Blair and Jamie started firing at it to grab its attention and as Jauque raised his rifle to join them...

The tower wall behind him exploded outwards as the Deathstalker busted through with another bone rattling screech.

He whipped around in time to dodge the stinger that lanced downwards and he skipped backwards to put some distance between himself and the beast that managed to somehow make its way out of the cave. "Where the fuck did that thing come from?"

Jamie's exclamation of shock mirrored his thoughts perfectly as the scorpion raised both pincers and tail with a cry of hate. "Nikos, Valkyrie, Ryan! You guys help me with the Deathstalker. The four of you deal with the Nevermore." His teammates rushed over in response to his command while Weiss gave him an imperial stare. "Very well Jauque, we will deal with the bird."

The Nevermore reared back in preparation of another storm of feathers however its foot became encased in ice, courtesy of Weiss, and it was pulled towards the ground and off-balance. Weiss shouted a command as she formed a glyph directly beneath the Nevermore. Blair and Rebecca swapped their weapons to the blade and stood on the glyph which launched them into the air towards the wings of the Grimm. They rocketed upwards at a blistering speed, reaching their apex well above the Nevermore. They began to accelerate downwards and when they drew level with the bird they impaled their swords into the wings to slow their descent. The Grimm let out a screech of pain as its wings were clipped and it plummeted to the earth, flailing wildly as it did so. Both Blair and Rebecca were thrown from the Nevermore and while the faunus girl managed to use a clone to right herself mid-air before landing with cat-like grace. Rebecca had no such luck in gaining control of her fall and was hurled directly into Weiss, sending both girls sprawling across the ground.

The Deathstalker fixated its gaze on the nearest target and charged forth, stinger piercing downwards in murderous intent. Ryan smoothly dodged to one side before gripping the joint where stinger met tail, allowing the Grimm to lift him into the air and out of danger. The scorpid swung both of its pincers towards the rest of them as the figure perched on its tail began to fire rounds into the joint. Jauque retreated again, laying down covering fire towards the eyes, as Penelope and Natalie stood their ground and met the pincers with attacks of their own. The champion angled her blade and struck a weak point, which caused the pincer to slam into the dirt next to her as Natalie merely met the incoming hit with one of her own, her crazy strength sending the claw reeling back. A stream of Jauque's gunfire pierced directly into one eye which lead to the Deathstalker thrashing its tail in agony and throwing Ryan to the ground next to it, stunned. Sensing an easy kill, it battered the girls away from it before turning on the fallen boy.

"Over here, you overgrown bug!" Jauque slid behind the Grimm with a cry and sliced at one of the spindly legs in an effort to pull its attention from Ryan. It rounded on him in fury and he noticed the stinger sway with the motion, held on by only a shred of flesh. Penelope clearly noticed this detail as well, as she whipped her sword into the air before extending her left hand. Her blade became surrounded in a black glow as it doubled in velocity before shearing through what was left of the stinger's joint then boomeranging back to its wielder. The heavy amber-coloured spike fell onto the back of the Deathstalker and embedded itself slightly into the plating. The Grimm screeched and turned towards the redhead, confused and enraged by the multi-directional assault. It spun in place, leaving an opening behind it that Jauque wasted no time in exploiting. "Valkyrie, end it!"

The berserker nodded and sprinted at the Deathstalker, leaping into the air as she neared it. She soared through the air, passing by the shortened tail and over the severed stinger. Landing on its head, she let loose a fierce battle cry before plunging her blade downwards with both hands. The point of her sword pierced through one of the eyes before embedding itself in the brain of the Deathstalker. The scorpion collapsed to the ground silently as Jauque aided Ryan to his feet. The four of them turned from their fallen foe to see how the fight against the Nevermore was faring.

The avian Grimm was struggling under the weight of the ice pinning its wings and tail to the ground. Weiss stood shakily on her feet, blade extended in preparation of casting another glyph, with her free hand pressed against her ribs in pain. Rebecca and Blair were slashing at its torso while Jamie was perched on the beak of the Nevermore, eyes red and swinging wildly. The bird gave a screech of agony as the blonde girl sliced one of its eyes, rendering it half blind. The ice holding one wing down exploded outwards as the beast thrashed wildly, knocking Rebecca away with one wing and sending Jamie flying as it whipped its head around. Both girls rolled on the hard packed earth, although the shorter girl recovered easily, her sister let out a groan of pain as her sword clattered from her grip.

Rebecca blurred over to the fallen girl, checking that she was okay before snatching up Jamie's sword in her free hand. The silver-eyed girl raced towards the Nevermore, who had turned towards Blair, shouting a warning to the agile fighter. "Blair, duck!"

The onyx haired girl dropped to the ground as her smaller teammate flew over her, both blades drawn back over one shoulder. The edges sheared through the feathers protecting the Grimm's throat before slicing through the throat as well. She landed in a somersault to bleed off momentum as the Nevermore collapsed next to Blair with a gurgling cry and glazed eyes.

Blair got to her feet and rushed over to Jamie, attempting to help her to her feet. The lilac eyed girl began to rise before one leg crumpled beneath her. Jauque knelt down next to her and draped her other arm over his shoulder. "Hey, you doing okay, Xiao Long?"

His fellow blonde flashed him an exhausted smile as her weight settled on him and Blair. "I think my ankle's twisted but aside from that I'm fine. How's Rebecca?"

Jauque glanced over to where the gradient haired girl was making her way over, chatting enthusiastically with Natalie. Ryan and Penelope supported the slumped form of Weiss, aiding her in joining the rest of the group. In his pocket, his scroll gave a familiar 'beep'. He managed to awkwardly fish it out and read the message he had received.

'Congratulations on a job well done. A bullhead is on its way to pick the eight of you up.'

He looked up at his fellow students and gave a tired grin, "Well, ride's on its way guys."

* * *

"Carson Winchester, Dave Bronzewing, Ross Thrush and Sam Lark. Together, the four of you passed the trials you were given during initiation and while you are at Beacon, you will be known as team Aerie. Named after the battle for Raven's Aerie Pass which was critical in the defense of the settlements on the southern coast of Anima. Your leader is Carson Winchester"

The newly christened team Aerie filed off the stage, shoving each other playfully before returning to the audience in front of the stage. Jauque gave a small sigh of exhaustion as he followed Penelope up the stairs and onto the stage in front of Ozpin. The headmaster gave them all a small smile before turning to the audience. "Jauque Arc, Natalie Valkyrie, Penelope Nikos and Ryan Lee. The four of you worked together to surpass the obstacles you faced during initiation. While at Beacon, you will be known as team Dragon, named after the battle for Dragon's Point, a crucial battle to secure the north-eastern coast of Sanus. You will be led by Jauque Arc."

As he walked off stage, one thought arose in Jauque's mind.

 _Is it some sort of sick joke that I lead a team named after the battle my parents died in?_

He watched the stage as Rebecca, Weiss, Blair and Jamie walked into the spotlight next to Ozpin. The four of them were clearly tired yet excited as the silver-haired man announced their success. "Rebecca Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blair Belladonna and Jamie Xiao Long. You all excelled at completing the tasks given to you during initiation and together, the four of you will be known as team Frost. Named for the siege of Frost Keep, which stopped an incursion of Grimm from breaking through to the northern settlements of Atlas. Your leader is Weiss Schnee."

* * *

 **Man, this was a fun chapter to write. It flowed nicely and the fights practically wrote themselves at times.**

 **I like to listen to music for ambiance while I do homework or write and as I was writing out the Natalie badassery, my playlist switched to a song called 'Valhalla'. If that ain't perfect coincidence I don't know what is.**

 **So, chapter 4 will be posted at the earliest next Sunday as I have several tests and a lot of homework from university this week, cutting heavily into my time used for writing.**

 **As always, reviews are appreciated.**

 **See you next chapter!**


	4. Class

**Story idea belongs to College Fool, RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Wake up lazy butts! It's morning!"

 _Why does she have so much energy at... 6:30 in the morning?!_

Jauque let out a soft groan as Natalie's shouting roused him from sleep. He blinked the sand from his eyes to see the bubbly girl leaning over a resigned-looking Ryan's bed, already in her uniform, while Penelope was sitting up and yawning. The flame-coloured hair which was usually brushed and set perfectly about her face was tangled and disheveled.

He could hear Weiss giving team Frost a similar wake-up call across the hallway while he got dressed in his uniform.

"Rebecca! For the last time: get out of bed!"

"I don't want to!"

"Ugh, Jamie! Can you help me out here?"

"Will do Snow Queen. Becca? Do you want me to tickle you?"

"I'm up! I'm up!"

Jauque chuckled at the antics of the two sisters as he checked his team's schedule for the day. "All right guys, pay attention." Ryan and Natalie looked up from the headlock she had him in while Penelope leaned out of the bathroom, brushing her hair into some semblance of order.

"We got Grimm Studies at nine with Professor Port, then General History at ten-thirty with Doctor Oobleck. We have lunch after that for an hour followed by Combat Training at one with Professor Goodwitch."

He looked at his watch to see how long they had for breakfast as Penelope walked out of the bathroom with her hair perfectly brushed. "It's seven right now, so we have around an hour and a half to get some breakfast."

Natalie let out a cheer, unintentionally tightening her hold on Ryan. The boy glared upwards as he exerted his semblance. The now calm girl released her grip immediately and then grinned sheepishly as her partner ended up face-planting into the floor. Jauque rolled his eyes at the duo's actions before heading out into the hall to go to the cafeteria.

Upon arriving at the cafeteria, Jauque made his way to the line and loaded up his tray with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast along with a glass of orange juice. He claimed a table for his team and waited for them to join him. Penelope had a bagel, yogurt and a sunny-side-up egg, Ryan had toast and fruit salad while Natalie had marginally less pancakes than the day before and half of a grapefruit, which she picked at with a glare towards her partner.

Jauque finished his bite of toast before looking up at his team. "So what do you guys think classes will be like?"

A familiar grin appeared across the table as his excitable teammate promptly answered him. "History sounds boooring, Grimm Studies seems like it could be interesting and Combat sounds awesome!"

Ryan gave her an indulgent smile, "History is still important Natalie, however boring it may be."

They began to debate the various merits and drawbacks of each class and Jauque was amazed at how easy it was to converse with them, barely needing to create a facade to do so.

 _Why is it so easy to fake this friendliness? Am I actually getting closer to them? No! I am not here to make friends, I am here to find out who 'Queen' is. I'm out of here at the end of the year and these people are merely means to that end._

He swallowed the last of his orange juice and stood up, picking up his empty tray as he did so. "I think we should make our way to class now. Otherwise we would end up being late."

His team smiled at him before following his lead as they headed off to their first class at Beacon.

* * *

They entered the Grimm Studies classroom and took a seat near the front next to team Frost. Over the next ten minutes, the room slowly filled up as students trickled in from either breakfast or their rooms. At 9 o'clock exactly, a rotund man with silver hair and an impressive mustache strolled into the room, hands clasped behind his back. He surveyed the room with a trained eye before addressing them.

"Over the years, society has had many names for the creatures of Grimm. Monsters, demons, horrors in the night. A well-trained huntsman or huntress can have another name for them as well: prey. Now this is not supposed to convey the notion of them being harmless or just masses to be slaughtered. As you have likely found during Initiation, the creatures of Grimm are dangerous beasts that should be respected and treated with proper caution. Now then, what types of Grimm did you all fight in the Emerald Forest?"

Several shouts of 'Beowolf' and 'Ursa' rang out from different parts of the classroom, even one or two 'Boarbatusk' or 'King Taijitu'. Natalie bounced in her seat while waving her hand. "Ooh, ooh, we fought a huge Deathstalker!"

Professor Port appeared mildly impressed by her statement. "Indeed? That is a truly magnificent kill, definitely not easy."

He turned to team Frost, one bushy eyebrow raised in curiosity. "And what about you lovely ladies, what did you find yesterday?"

Weiss gave him a winning smile. "We fought a Nevermore, Professor."

The huntsman seemed confused by her statement, clearly thrown off by something she said. "Just one? Normally, Nevermore travel in large flocks."

"What? But it was massive!" Rebecca gave a loud exclamation of shock at the thought of a flock of giant Nevermore.

Port responded in a mollified tone. "Aah, that makes more sense. The Giant Nevermore is a solitary Grimm while the normal Nevermore are not much larger than most birds."

He motioned to the diagrams of various Grimm above the blackboard, "Today's lesson will be on the common Beowolf. While individual Beowolves are hardly a threat unless you are severely disadvantaged, a pack of them will coordinate their attacks instinctively much as a pack of wolves will work together against a deer. Now if you would copy the diagram of the Beowolf from the board, I will begin to go over their strengths and weaknesses."

Jauque spent the rest of class sketching the Beowolf into his notebook and marking down what Port was saying next to it.

* * *

Jauque gave a light groan as he took a seat at the lunch table, a bowl of soup in front of him. History had been tough as the teacher had rattled off information at a rate thay surpassed even Natalie. Thumps of various volumes sounded around him as the others filled up the table around him. Penelope started off the midday conversation. "So what does everyone think of their classes so far?"

Rebecca rolled her eyes with a derisive snort. "The stuff Port was going over in class was stuff I covered in Signal last year."

The blonde boy raised an eyebrow at her before responding. "I believe he is just making sure everyone is on the same page, Rose. However, I can't follow more than three consecutive words of what Oobleck says."

Jamie gave a sympathetic nod in his direction. "I'm with you there, Ladykiller. That guy talks too damn fast."

Something tapped him on the side of the head quite forcefully and he turned to see Natalie with her arm raised, clearly unapologetic about her poke. "Is there something you wanted, Valkyrie?"

"Yup! You never answered my question during Initiation."

He blinked a couple times, racking his mind in an attempt to discern what she was talking about. "And that was...?"

"About your parents!"

 _Oh, that question._

Jauque gave a quiet sigh as he closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again to face both teams. Natalie was staring at him intently, clearly anticipating his response. While they were hiding it to various degrees, the other six people around the table were obviously as interested as the bubbly girl next to him. "Lunch isn't really the best place for this conversation. How about we all gather in my team's room after classes and talk there?"

Any possible responses were cut off as a nearby voice gave a yelp of pain. "Please stop, that hurts!"

A couple tables away, team Aerie guffawed as their leader pulled at the rabbit ears of a brown-haired faunus girl. She was attempting to pull her head away from his crushing grip but couldn't free herself.

 _Hmm, standing up for her gets me another potential lead._

Everyone at Jauque's table glared at the scene and gave mutters of discontent. They looked at him in surprise and confusion when he suddenly stood up and stalked towards the other table. "Jauque? What are you doing?"

His faced set into a determined scowl. "The right thing."

He quickly approached Carson and the mystery girl, arm snapping forward to grip the larger boy's wrist. "Let her go, asshole."

The orange haired boy maintained his grip before standing to his full height and smirking arrogantly down at Jauque. "Now why would I do that, huh?"

Jauque returned the smirk and replied contemptuously, "Do you really want to be known as the guy who needs to bully girls smaller than him to feel good about himself?"

Carson gripped the collar of Jauque's shirt, letting go of the girl who immediately scampered out of his reach. Indigo eyes alight in rage, he growled down at Jauque. "You got a death wish or something? Because if we spar today, you are fucking dead."

The hand holding his collar let go with a quick shove as Carson turned back to his table. Jauque made his way over to the girl who was being tormented and have her a look of concern. "Hey, you okay?"

Warm, brown eyes gave him a look of gratitude and a gentle smile crossed her face. "Yeah, thanks for helping me out..." Her voice trailed as she went to say his name.

"Jauque Arc, and your name is?"

"Veronica Scarlatina. Oh! My team just showed up so I'll see you around. Thanks again."

She darted off with a wave that Jauque returned. He strolled back to his table and finished his lunch.

* * *

"Now students, who here has fought in a tournament-style duel before?"

A few hands, Penelope included, were raised into the air as Professor Goodwitch scanned the class before calling on one of them.

"Miss Bayley, would you like to explain the rules for the rest of the class?"

The brown-haired girl nodded before raising her voice. "Both combatants use the sword form only and the duel ends when either one fighter's Aura drops below 15% or they are forced out of the ring."

Goodwitch gave her a small smile and turned back to the group as a whole. "Well spoken, now for our first duel, I would like Blair Belladonna and Ryan Lee to the stage."

Both teams cheered for their respective members as they headed up to the stage and squared off, blades drawn. Both were coiled like springs, awaiting the signal to, "Begin!"

The duelists rushed forward, swords clashing together as they traded strikes. Ryan twisted his blade through Blair's guard and swiped at her midriff. She vaulted backwards, leaving a clone in her place and swinging her blade towards her opponents open side. A loud smack was heard as Ryan's Aura level dipped, the boy disengaging as he judged his foe. Twice more, he slipped by her guard only to be foiled by her Semblance and receiving hits from the agile faunus.

He cut through another clone before suddenly spinning in place and parrying Blair's counterattack with a fierce grin. She gasped slightly as his free hand pummeled her ribs. She growled as he went further on the offensive, both fighters moving about swiftly. They danced fluidly across the stage, blades clashing against one another, fists and feet punishing openings.

Both Auras were in the yellow now and Blair smirked as she landed a hit on Ryan's hastily raised guard, knocking his blade to the ground. She swung at her now unarmed opponent, intent on ending the match there and then. Her blade carved a glittering arc through the air as a snap kick from Ryan launched it out of her hands. Both fighters circled one another, now locked in hand to hand combat. A few light blows were traded as they fully judged the styles of one another.

A right cross flew by Blair's face as she leapt backwards, clone taking the blow. However, instead of stumbling and leaving himself open, Ryan continued the motion and brought his leg up in a roundhouse kick that knocked Blair sideways in the middle of her disengage. Her eyes widened as the point of his elbow thundered into her stomach, dropping her Aura barely into the red and ending the match.

"Well fought both of you. Mr Lee, you did well in countering Miss Belladonna's Semblance, however you overextended your attacks early on which could have been much more punishing. Miss Belladonna, you Semblance was useful in the beginning to confuse and evade Mr Lee. However, you were predictable in its usage and the fact that you stayed defensive almost the entire match let Mr Lee dictate the pace of the fight."

Goodwitch had a few more students spar until class ended, analyzing them and noting strengths and weaknesses. Jauque was jostled around as he left the room, courtesy of Carson. "Oh, sorry about that Jauquey Boy, didn't see you there." Voice dripping with sarcastic sympathy, the taller boy headed down the hall with the rest of his team.

* * *

Jauque gave a brief yawn as he flopped onto his mattress, exhausted by the day's events. He felt several gazes boring into the side of his head so he rolled over, blue eyes locking with ones of green across the room. He pushed himself upright, closing his eyes for a second before opening them and scanning the room.

"We are continuing the conversation from lunch, I take it?"

His resigned question was met with several forms of agreement, from cheers and yells to subtle nods of support to disinterested gazes. He turned his focus to Natalie and scooted back on his bed so his back was to the wall. Slightly more comfortable, he resumed speaking.

"Well, to answer your question Natalie: I'm not sure what my parents were like. I don't remember them much at all."

A few people seemed taken aback by his statement although he noted that Blair and Ryan appeared to be going over his words. The faunus girl narrowed her eyes at him. "You said what your parents 'were' like. Are you saying that their gone or what?"

Jauque smiled to himself, glad someone picked up on his hint. "You could put it that way. From what I've been told by a friend of my parents, they died when I was roughly a year old."

He trailed off, letting an uncomfortable silence settle over the room. A minute or two passed before Rebecca hesitantly broke the tension. "Wh-what happened to them?"

He leaned over to his bedside table and picked up the picture frame sitting there. He handed it to the closest person, Jamie, before returning to talking.

"The friend I mentioned earlier told me that they died as heroes in the battle for Dragon's Point. At least, that's what the official record will show. He said that unofficially they were intentionally put into a situation during the battle that they couldn't survive as a de facto execution for colour treason."

If the silence before was uncomfortable, then this one was absolutely excruciating. They seemed unwilling to act, unsure of what to say or do. Ryan was the first to move, placing the picture back on the bedside table before sitting next to Jauque and placing a hand on his shoulder. The show of support was enough to break everyone else from their stupor and either willing or not, they engulfed him in a hug.

Jauque maintained a somber outward demeanour, mutely accepting the support from both teams. On the inside however, he was grinning from ear to ear, quite pleased.

 _Was this all it took? A bit of friendliness and a sad backstory to have them wrapped around my finger? This may be easier than I thought._

* * *

 **Hopefully chapter 5 will be done by the weekend although I can't promise anything.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has followed and/or favorited the story.**

 **See you next chapter!**


	5. Stress

**Story idea belongs to College Fool, RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Prior to the Faunus Right's Rebellion, the government was quite, quite adamant in their plans to centralize the faunus population on Menagerie!" The green haired blur that was Doctor Oobleck paused for a moment to gesture at a map before resuming his lightning fast delivery.

Jauque felt his eyes closing momentarily and forced himself to stay focused on the rapid words flying through the classroom. A ball of paper bounced lightly off the back of his head and he growled softly under his breath. Seated behind him was Carson Winchester, leader of team Aerie and a constant source of stress for Jauque. It seemed that the taller boy's grudge against him for standing up for Veronica had turned into a full-blown vendetta over the last couple weeks.

"Now then, some of you will scoff and ask why it is important that you learn about these events some four decades ago. Well, if you look around you, you will see many repercussions from the Rebellion have great impact to this very day. Who can tell me the last great victory the faunus had, causing the Empire to bring the full might of the military on them?"

A hand shot up near the front of the room, causing Oobleck to pause and turn towards them.

"Yes, miss Schnee? You believe you have the answer?"

"The battle of Fort Castle."

"Exactly! Can anyone tell me one of the factors that played a part in the Faunus victory over the forces of General Lagune?"

A foot smacked into the back of Jauque's chair, jolting him with a start. "Hey!"

"Excellent, Mr. Arc. You believe you have an answer?"

His mind failed to bring an answer to his tongue, however he noticed that Penelope was making gestures around her eyes, as if she was using binoculars. The hint did nothing to help Jauque with the answer as he racked his brain for what he knew about Fort Castle.

 _Shit, what is it? It happened at night, I remember that. Night and 'binoculars'..._

"Night vision?"

"That is indeed one of them! Does anyone else want to add another? Mr. Winchester, you have not answered a question in a while, what are your thoughts?"

The orange haired smirked before responding in a scornful tone.

"It's easier to train an animal compared to a soldier. I know that much."

Several students glared at Carson as Doctor Oobleck shook his head. "Does anyone more open-minded have a _correct_ response?"

Blair raised her hand before responding, "General Lagune made the mistake of underestimating the faunus, ignoring the fact that they had the advantage in the dark and relying on his overwhelming numbers to achieve victory. He was quickly outmaneuvered by the faunus forces and was captured. Maybe if he had paid more attention in class, he wouldn't have failed."

The tail end of her answer was delivered with a scornful barb towards Carson, causing the boy to glare at her with ire. Oobleck continued on with his lecture, breaking the hostile tension in the room.

"Miss Belladonna is correct. However, the battle of Fort Castle would mark the turning point in the Rebellion as the Empire proceeded to win every major battle over the next four years, eventually leading to a surrender by the faunus. The Empire imposed sever penalties on the faunus as consequences for rebelling, making it highly illegal to hide your identity as a faunus as well as stripping several laws promoting equality between faunus and humans. These laws have been recently reinstated by more moderate members of the government, however tensions have remained high as evidenced by the rise of the White Fang, not a decade after the end of the war. Now then, I do believe we are out of time. Please finish reading chapter 5 in your texts by the end of the week."

His mind elsewhere, he robotically went through the motions of rising to his feet, collecting his books and heading to lunch.

* * *

Jauque woodenly pushed his spaghetti around his plate, lacking an appetite and any bites he actually took were flavorless. He could pretty much feel the concern radiating next to him. Unwilling to meet her emerald eyes at the moment, he merely tilted his head towards her when she spoke to him.

"Jauque, are you doing okay?"

"Why do you ask?"

Rebecca looked at him from across the table, just as concerned as his partner. "It's just that you seem... not okay."

Weiss gave a slight snort at the word choice of her partner before turning to him. "I believe the real question here is not 'are you okay', that much is obvious. What's causing you to act like this, Arc? You weren't like this at the beginning of term."

Rather than give her a flat answer, he flicked his gaze over her shoulder to where team Aerie were laughing harshly at some joke one of them told. Weiss nodded, picking up on his nonverbal response while most of their teammates were still looking at him to reply.

"Do they really have that much of an effect on you, Arc? You should go talk to Professor Goodwitch if that's the case."

Jauque shook his head, feeling a rush of shame at the thought of people like them having that much influence on him. "It wouldn't help me all that much. Detention wouldn't be enough to deter them from what they're doing."

"That doesn't explain why you're so tired though. Distracted, I can understand. Stressed, maybe. But not this exhausted."

He fought the urge to growl as the frustration in Jamie's words matched his own. His gaze shot down the table to meet hers, "I've been spending late nights at the library trying to catch up on what I miss in Oobleck's class as well as the fact that I've been doing abysmally in Combat class as well."

Lilac eyes narrowed at the acidic tone that he responded with and Jauque quickly backtracked, realizing that he had let his mood get the better of him. "My apologies, Xiao Long. I let my stress get the better of me."

A polite cough caught his attention and he turned to Penelope, who had a thoughtful expression across her face. "While I may not be able to help you with history, I am willing to spar with you to improve your fighting. If that's okay with you, that is."

He gave her a grin, extremely grateful that he had teammates like these. "Thanks a lot Nikos, that would be great."

Rolling her eyes at his formality, she returned the smile. "Grand. Meet me on the roof this evening and we can spar for a couple hours."

The bell rang loudly to signal the end of lunch. As everyone made their way out of the doors of the cafeteria, Jauque grunted as someone fell against him heavily. He felt a hand deftly slip into his pocket before they quickly regained their footing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jamie brush herself off before grinning at him. "Sorry about that, Ladykiller. See you in combat class."

He made his way towards the locker rooms, putting his hand in his pocket once the hallway was relatively empty. A slip of paper brushed lightly against his fingertips, despite the pocket being empty moments before. Pulling it out once he got to his locker, he quickly read then re-read the message written on the papers surface.

'If you want to blow off some steam: Airship docks, tonight at 9, wear normal clothes, Jamie.'

He surreptitiously put the note back in his pocket before changing into his combat outfit and heading off to Goodwitch's class.

* * *

The door squealed on its hinges as Jauque stepped out onto the rooftop, still dressed in his combat outfit and with his sword sheathed at his waist. Penelope was at the far end of the rooftop with her sword unsheathed and held loosely at her side. She had her back to him, gazing upwards towards the stars that were beginning to appear in the indigo sky. No indication was giving that she knew he was here, although the door was loud enough to easily signal his arrival.

"So how is this going to work, Nikos?"

The redhead turned around at the sound of his voice, giving him a smile. "I have some idea of the weaknesses in your fighting style from watching your matches. However, the best way for me to learn that is for us to spar."

She strode towards the middle of the roof, settling into a stance with her blade drawn back. Jauque moved forward until he was about eight feet from her, drawing his blade and clasping the hilt with both hands, keeping the blade vertical. They signaled their readiness with small nods, Jauque unconsciously tightening his grip while his partner remained as composed as ever.

Penelope surged towards him, pivoting on one foot while slashing fiercely at his shoulder. His sword managed to intercept hers and he grunted at the force behind her swing. His blade was shoved backwards and he nearly lost his grip while she merely used the rebound to cut towards his leg. He blocked again, this time she aimed for his head and now she was jabbing at his torso.

He was somehow able to make a couple cramped swings at her that were batted away like flies. The fight between Penelope and him was not so much a trading of blows like when Blair and Ryan fought and was more akin to Jauque defending against a whirling onslaught of steel. He lasted for one, maybe two minutes before his blade was knocked to the ground and the pommel of her sword threw him from his feet.

He lay groaning on the cool surface of the rooftop, waiting for the ringing to subside from his ears. Jauque opened his eyes to see Penelope leaning over him, arm outstretched to help him to his feet. He graciously accepted her aid and she hauled him to his feet. Retrieving his weapon from where it had fallen, he titled his head slightly and gave his partner a questioning look.

"Ok Nikos, what do I need to work on?"

She gave him an appraising stare as she began to circle around him, "For one, your stance is inefficient: it lacks adaptability and makes it harder to respond to a quick attack. Your stance should not be rigid, it should be ready to react to an attack from any direction."

She manipulated Jauque's pose while talking, widening his stance as well as positioning his blade so it crossed his body diagonally.

"Second, your blocks are weak and badly positioned, making it difficult to keep your grip. Stepping backwards as you block helps ypu absorb part of the blow although it gives ground to your enemy. You shouldn't take the brunt of the strike directly on the blade if your opponent is stronger that you. Instead, you should angle your blade to deflect it to one side. Keep your grip loose until just before impact, then tighten it while bringing the blade up to defend. Here, attack me and I'll show you."

Penelope backed up a couple feet and settled into her stance. Jauque took a swing at her and noted that when she blocked, there was much less resistance and his blade held firm instead of bouncing off. She motioned for him to go again and this time her block was much stronger, causing his blow to reflect with a light 'clang'.

"Lastly, you tried to attack from a cramped position which weakens the power behind your hits and leaves you open to punishment. When you're in a situation where you can't attack effectively, you want to disengage from your opponent to give yourself space to maneuver in. You want to abuse any reach advantages you get against shorter opponents and taller ones you should aim to get inside their guard to cramp their mobility."

She paused, pulling her Scroll out of her pocket and checking the screen. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, Penelope turned back towards Jauque with a smile. "It's around 8:00 right now and I promised Blair that I would work with her on the project we have for Port at 8:30. That gives us a bit of time to practice if you want to."

 _Leaving later would mean I have less time to make excuses for. Plus, a bit of extra practice won't hurt._

"I've got some time, anything in particular you want to work on?"

"Blocking: I'm going to swing at you and you need to successfully block it. Don't worry, it won't be as bad as earlier."

Jauque drew his sword, waiting for his partner to make the first move. Steel danced across the rooftop as Jauque did his best to parry the oncoming blows. Eventually, his blade clattered to the rooftop and the tip of Penelope's sword was at his throat. She lowered it with an encouraging smile as she returned the blade to its sheath. "Well done Jauque, that was much better than earlier. I need to head to the library to meet up with Blair, but I'll see you in the room when we're done."

"I, most likely, am going to take a walk before heading to one of the quieter common rooms to catch up on my reading for Oobleck. I may not be back in the room by the time you're finished with the project."

She nodded in understanding and headed through the door with a brief wave. Jauque made his way to the dorm room and found it empty, which was not much of a surprise as Natalie abhorred staying still when she didn't need to and likely dragged Ryan off somewhere out of sheer boredom. He collected a change of clothes as well as his textbook for History and made his way to the locker rooms. Jauque opened up his locker and placed both his weapon as well as his History book before taking a brief shower.

Upon exiting the shower, he changed into the one set of 'normal' clothes he had: blue jeans, a red shirt and a plain black hoodie. He made his way outside, letting the cool night air wash over him as he followed the path that led to the airship docks. A lone figure leaned against a low retaining wall, brilliant gold hair bleached pale by the moonlight. As he neared, she pushed herself off the wall and gave him a grin.

Jamie was wearing a cropped brown leather jacket over a bright yellow top, leaving most of her midriff exposed to the air. An orange muffler was wrapped around her neck and she had black gloves on. Black shorts and an asymmetrical lilac skirt were paired with knees high boots and tall orange socks completed the outfit. She had pulled her flowing hair into a long braid that swayed as she turned her head.

"So you showed up, Ladykiller."

"Okay Xiao Long, what are we doing that required this much secrecy?"

She remained silent for a moment before reaching into her pocket and tossed a concave object at him. Turning it over in his hands, Jauque found that it was a wooden mask painted to look like a golden dragon. While it was not designed to cover the lower half of his face, it was easily sufficient in hiding who he was. Suspicions deepening, he looked back up at Jamie and raised a questioning eyebrow. Her grin widened as she pulled out a similar mask and held it over her face.

"We're going painting."

* * *

 **Man, university kicked my ass this past week. Thankfully I get my spring break now, which gives me more time to write. :D**

 **Thank you to everyone who has followed/favorited the story and if you have any questions, feel free to PM me or leave a review.**

 **See you next chapter!**

* * *

 **17/3/17 Edit: So, I went back and fixed a few details from the previous chapters that I noticed were off. I was hoping to post the updated chapters along with chapter 6 but writer's block decided my ass needed kicking. Hopefully I can get it finished up by Monday but I can't promis anything. My writing time has been reduced for the next month or so due to upcoming University stuff but I should be clear after exams.**

 **Thanks,**

 **Obsydian**


	6. Painting

**Story idea belongs to College Fool, RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

It was strange the difference a few details made between an ordinary happening and one that was distinctly out of the ordinary. To the average bystander, the two blonde teens walking the streets of Vale were most likely a pair of friends hanging out or possibly a couple on a date. The possibility that these two teens, one in a hoodie and jeans and the other in a cropped jacket and a skirt, were casually on their way to commit crime was ridiculous.

"Alright Ladykiller, there's a few things you need to know before we get to where we are going."

Musings interrupted, Jauque turned to his companion and raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Very well, Xiao Long, what to you want to tell me?"

Jamie returned the look as they discretely turned off the well lit main streets of Vale's commercial district into a series of dimly light alleyways. Gone were the broad walkways and warm lights of downtown, instead they made their way through cramped and twisting corridors between the tall buildings. Trash was piled in the corners of the alleys and glowing eyes peered out from shadowy corners.

"First of all, this outing isn't just the two of us. We're going to be part of a much larger group that values anonymity. That's why we wear masks and use false names. So out here, I'm no longer Jamie Xiao Long; instead you can call me Yang."

That's logical, no reason to commit crimes under your own name if you go to the effort of hiding your face. I should pick something similar, yet not too close to my actual name. I suppose that my 'birth' name would be a suitable alias for these activities.

Jauque turned to Yang with a faint smile, as they exited the alley, crossed a bridge over one of two rivers dividing the city and turned onto a quiet street in one of the suburbs of Vale. Only a couple streetlights illuminated the streets as they passed through a neat, peaceful neighbourhood.

"Very well Yang, you may refer to me as Jaune. Is there anything else I need to know?"

She snapped a finger in his face as the street they were on became a dead end. Only a couple houses were still ahead of them on this road and they appeared as unassuming as the rest.

"Yeah, pretty much everyone in the group is here to relax and have fun so your formal way of talking is going to weird them out. Try to speak normally instead of sounding like one of the professors."

"Okay, I'll lay off the formality Yang. This any better?"

They turned onto a short walkway that led to the second to last house on the street. It was a fairly sturdy house, two stories tall and painted the same uniform gray as every other building. Jaune made sure to note the address as he made his way up the stairs and on to the modest porch.

Alright, the address is number 725, on 13th Avenue

"Alright Jaune, put on your mask and pull up your hood cause we're here."

He retrieved the dragon mask from his pocket and placed it over his head, pleasantly surprised by both the comfort as well as how little it interfered with his vision, before pulling his hood up over it. Yang had already put hers on over her features and had restrained her mass of golden hair under the hood of her jacket. She reached up with one hand and knocked heavily on the door of the house, letting the hollow sound echo through the deserted street before the door was cracked open. A masked figure dressed in green regarded both of them, clearly recognizing Yang and opening the door wider.

They entered the house, Yang all but dragging Jaune over to a couple other people in masks and hoods. It felt more like a masquerade or some weird cult rather than a group of people about to go painting. A smaller person, female if the voice was any indication, in a full-face mask with rose petals and a red hood was talking to Yang. A quartet of people dressed in varying shades of brown and orange, including a very tall man and a rabbit faunus, were off in a corner while the person that let them in, wearing a green mask with lotus blossoms over the eyes, was discussing something with a much shorter companion dressed in a hooded navy bomber jacket and a pink skirt. Finally, a solitary figure dressed in a pale blue dress with attached hood and a blue and silver masquerade mask was leaning against one wall, checking the clock before coughing loudly and stepping up on a box.

"Alright, let's do a quick role call before we start the night."

"Ruby." The girl talking to Yang raised a hand.

"Ren." A brief nod of confirmation from the doorman.

"Nora." The girl next to Ren bounced up and down.

"Blake." No one moved until Yang waved briefly.

"Yes, Yang?"

"She said that she had stuff to do tonight."

"Thank you. Moving on, Coco."

One of the people in the corner waved before shouting back, "Coffee's here."

"Very well, we already know that Yang is here, which just leaves the newcomer."

While Jaune was never one to feel out of place in a crowd, the fact that everyone was staring at him behind their masks was quite off-putting. Squaring his shoulders, he met the gaze of the girl in white as well as one could when both parties are wearing masks.

"The name is Jaune."

"Queen."

He received a nod from the girl before she made her way over to one corner of the room, an asymmetrical red ponytail exiting from the back of her hood. Laid out neatly were various painting tools, ranging from cans of spray paint to delicate brushes and palettes. There were also some unorthodox tools as well, like a mop or a pair of boxing gloves and stacked in the corner were several cans of paint. On the wall behind the painting supplies was a large map of Vale with various lines, circles and annotations covering the surface. Queen tapped a part of the map corresponding to Vale's industrial district before addressing the room.

"Alright, our target location is the 49th Street courtyard. Police rarely patrol the area so activity should be a minimum and the Schnee compound is much too far away for them to detect us. We're keeping it simple tonight as we are short on time and supplies. Any questions?"

Upon receiving no questions, she walked over to the paint supplies and retrieved a thin wand. Turning back to the assembled group, she gestured to the rest of the supplies.

"Nora, Yang, Yatsu and Coco, can you guys grab the paint cans? Everyone else, grab your tools and move out."

Everyone moved forward once she had finished speaking, with those that Queen had named grabbing paint cans and the remaining ones picking up both their items and those belonging to the others. Jaune waited for most of the people to grab their 'tools' before making his way over to the remaining items. Before him was a pair of brushes tied together with a ribbon, a broad-headed brush with a paint pan and a thin brush along with a palette. Selecting the pan and brush, he followed the crowd out the door and into the quiet night.

They maintained relative silence as they made their way through the streets, not wanting to disturb those in the houses on either side of the street. A few minutes later the smells of industrial smoke and chemicals drifted in the breeze, growing stronger with each step. Soon afterwards, they crossed the other river in Vale and found themselves in the industrial heart of the city.

Plumes of smoke drifted in the air from various factories and warehouses were everywhere. The streets were wide and smooth, dimly illuminated by the streetlights dotting the way. It was absolutely deserted, the factory workers and warehouse personnel having gone home hours before. Towards the western corner of the district, nearest to the commercial harbor, the walled compound of the Schnee warehouses shone coldly beneath the high intensity lights as small figures of guards patrolled the walls.

Now that they had left the tranquil streets of the suburbs behind, they broke the silence and began to banter among one another. Walking several blocks, they passed several locked warehouses before coming to a stop in a small, unintentional courtyard created by the walls of three buildings.

Jaune silently acknowledged the cleverness of this location, knowing that these warehouses contained mainly bulky equipment and materials used primarily in housing. Given the relative worthlessness of the goods to the average thief, police rarely patrolled this section of the district. It was deep enough into the district that it was impossible for a casual pedestrian to spot from the riverside, even in broad daylight. While the courtyard was clearly just an open space between several buildings, he could see refuse that indicated that it was a popular spot for workers to smoke and have their lunch, meaning that their 'art' would surely be seen.

The cans of paint were set down in the center of the courtyard and cracked open, revealing a range of colours. Everyone selected the colour they were to use and prepped their tools. Jaune picked the first colour he saw and poured a bit into his pan. Looking around, he saw that everyone was working either alone or in pairs as well as the fact that Yang was waving him over. Making his way over to Yang, he found her wielding a pair of boxing gloves that she had dipped in paint and was currently punching letters onto the wall.

"Hey Jaune, could you lend me a hand here?"

"Sure, what do you need?"

She gestured at the letters in front of her, each roughly 5 feet tall and with the tops left unfinished. They all leaned at odd angles, at places almost melding together.

"Normally Yatsu finishes the tops of the letters but you should be tall enough to reach. If you want to smooth out the rest of the letters, that would be nice."

He nodded, reaching up with his paintbrush to complete the punched on letters. Occasionally he had to ask Yang to specify which letter he was finishing. He suppressed a surge of discomfort in his core, knowing that as someone who was raised as a child of the state, what Jaune was doing now flew directly in the face of what he had been taught all his life.

Finishing up the last letter, he stepped back and slowly read put loud the entirety of what he and Yang had written.

"WE...AREN'T...YOUR...TIN...SOLDIERS,...MANTLE"

He scanned the rest of the courtyard, taking in the other phrases painted onto the walls in garish colours, as well as the wall that was entirely covered in clashing colours, barring some negative space that spelled out CFVY, courtesy of Coco and her friends.

WHAT TWO THINGS ARE BLACK, WHITE AND RED ALL OVER? GRIMM AND THE EMPIRE'S PROPAGANDA.

JUST BECAUSE SOLITAS IS MONOCHROME DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO BE.

On the last open space was written a lengthy message in a flowing, elegant script.

To the Monochrome Empire,

You seek to suppress us, to deny that we are unique, to render us to mere numbers. You seek to turn us into robots, to make us like your 'utopia' in Mantle. You make speeches in front of crowds and see them only as a mass to be regulated.

YOU ARE WRONG!

Your 'utopia' is nothing but a tyranny and unlike the soulless machines that patrol your streets, we are individuals with hearts and minds that you will not control. The world inside and outside the borders is full of colour that you are unable to regiment or suppress. We will assure that future generations will learn these truths and nothing you will do can stop us.

Queen.

A movement out of the corner of his eye caught Jaune's attention. Turning, he saw that Ruby was putting a symbol on the end of her graffiti: a large R with the circular top replace by a stylized rose. As he surveyed the walls again, he noticed that others were doing similar with Ren creating a blooming flower with his cans of spray paint while Nora had made what appeared to be a broken hammer.

"You going to add your tag, Jaune?"

A voice behind him caused him to turn on his heels. Yang was looking at him expectantly, a flaming heart punched onto the wall next to her.

"What do you mean by 'tag'?"

"A symbol that works as your signature as an artist."

Jaune picked up his paint pan and brush, quickly swiping two curved lines onto the wall before smashing the pan below them. Stepping back, he surveyed the courtyard one final time before his gaze settled once more on his tag, feeling bile slowly rise in his throat. A punch to his shoulder caused Jaune to stumble sideways, nearly crashing into Nora.

"Looks good, Jaune."

He nodded some thanks to Ruby, not trusting himself to speak at the moment. Hearing a polite cough behind him, Jaune turned around to see Queen looking at his work with what he could assume to be a scrutinizing gaze. She stared at it a few moments longer before turning her attention to him and holding out her hand.

"May I see your brush?"

Forcing out a 'sure', he handed the painting tool over to the girl in front of him. She uttered a brief thanks before stepping up to his tag and using the brush to gather up some of the excess paint dripping down the wall. With a flick of her wrist, the column of paint left by his paint pan had been turned into a curved line resembling a J.

"Expression is key, Jaune. After all, we can't do stuff like this come daylight."

She handed back his paintbrush with a beautiful smile before making her way over to the center of the courtyard, calling for everyone to collect the painting supplies and head out.

They reached the house around ten minutes later, the later hour lending itself to dead streets and more rapid movement. After they cleaned up the supplies, they briefly discussed the next outing.

"We should be getting a shipment from our supplier this weekend, so next week's art should be back to our usual standards. Same time next week, I hope to see you all there."

Everyone echoed goodbyes to each other as they went their separate ways upon exiting the house, although Jaune thought he saw a few of them on the ride back to Beacon.

It was nearing one in the morning when Jauque finally stumbled into his dorm. Penelope was the only one in the room, Natalie most likely dragging Ryan out for a late night snack. Thanking the fact that his partner was such a heavy sleeper, he quickly changed into his sleepwear, crawled into bed and passed the night in a dreamless slumber.

* * *

 **First off, I apologize for how long it took this chapter to write. University and writer's block decided that I was getting off easy amd they needed to fix that.**

 **Chapter 7 may take some time to write as my exams are around 3 weeks away and a couple classes have been pretty rough for me so I have to sacrifice writing time for studying.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has followed and/or favorited the story and if you have any questions feel free to review or send me a PM.**

 **See you next chapter.**


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